Fierljeppen
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fierljeppen".

Fierljeppen (lit. far-leaping) is a traditional sport of the Frisians and of the Dutch, and one of the more complex athletic sports known to date. Ljeppen is West Frisian for "to leap" in English. It is a fine example of the close relationship between the Frisian and English languages.

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Description

The sport involves a long pole and a body of water. The pole is between 3 and 5 m long and has a flat round plate at the bottom to prevent it from sinking into the muddy river or canal bottom.

A jump consists of an intense sprint to the pole (polsstok), jumping and grabbing it, then climbing to the top of the pole while trying to control its forward and lateral movements over a body of water, and finishing with a graceful landing on a sand bed opposite to the starting point. Because of all the diverse skills required in fierljeppen, fierljeppers are considered to be very complete athletes with superbly developed strength and coordination.

History

The sport is believed to have originated with farmers who used poles to leap over small water drainage channels to access different plots of land. In East Frisia this sport is known as Pultstock-Jumping. Today the sport is primarily practiced for fun or to entertain tourists, but there still is an official annual National Fierljepping Manifestation (NFM) in the Netherlands, and championships are contested in six leagues and numerous clubs.

Record holders

The current overall record holder is Bart Helmholt from Hurdegaryp (Friesland). He leaped a distance of 20.76 meters in 2007.

The current Dutch record holders by category are [1]:

  • Seniors: 20.76 meter Bart Helmholt, from Hurdegaryp, Friesland (22 August 2007, Grijpskerk)
  • Juniors: 20.41 meters, Jaco de Groot, from Kamerik, Utrecht (9 August 2006, Linschoten)
  • Boys: 18.45 meters, Alwin Fonk from Burgum, Friesland (26 August 2006, IJlst)
  • Ladies: 15.55 meters, Sjoukje Tjalma from It Heidenskip, Friesland (13 August 2005, Winsum)

Fierljeppen throughout the world

International tourists who have visited Friesland and who have observed this sport have helped to spread its popularity throughout the globe. Competitions in other locales now take place, albeit at a less competitive level due to smaller numbers of athletes and the lack of suitable locations.

Many Americans were first introduced to the sport, here referred to as "ditch-vaulting", on Season 12 of The Amazing Race.

External links

References
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